Tuesday, May 28, 2013

My time as a "teacher" in Tokyo

Japan-the land of dense population and a strong group culture. The
land of4 a.m. sunrises. The
land of miniskirts and polka dotted hosiery.

This is where I spent two weeks in Tokyo's
district of Noborito working with students at Senshu University, where most
study business and economics.

I said before that I would be a
teaching assistant, but that term can be loosely interpreted. As with all
things, I have learned to spend my days here with no expectations.

I actually spent lunch periods at the
university with random students doing one very simple thing -- speaking to them
in English.

In Japan, students are required to study
two foreign languages, with English and Chinese deemed the most useful.

Most students at Senshu speak very limited
English, but striking up a conversation was simple, as I was very well received
as an American.

My "lessons," or basic
conversation, with students involved finding common grounds, which usually
consisted of popular culture. Favorite topics of the students include One
Direction, Taylor Swift, Harry Potter and Disney World.

The Japanese students strive to impress
and connect with Westerners. They are humble, and they made me feel as if every
single thing I said was wildly important. I tried my best to reciprocate.

Students Daichi Kobayashi and Futaba Ikeya
are some of the most advanced, and working with them had a way of making me
think more about my native language, like when we found ourselves explaining to
Kobayashi the difference between "planning" and "scheming"
and discussing high-fives with Ikeya.

Although Tokyo is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, it is known for being a lonely culture. While the youth are surrounded by their friends, it turns out that they do not have many personal conversations. The way students interact culturally is a far cry from the self-obsessed talk from America.

Stay tuned for more stories about the cultural climate in Japan. So much more grounds to cover!

With students Yuki Kimura, Misaki Matsuda, Maki Abe, Futaba Ikeya and Maya Momose at Senshu Univeristy. Southeastern University volunteer Gabby Valentin is between me and Yuki.